Page 115 of Blood Lovers

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN - PAUL

It was always just… Him.

I catch up with Syrsee as she stands in place in the middle of a lovely pathway that I have always been fond of. Ryet is making his way over a delightful walking bridge that curves over the water in an arch.

God, I love this place. I didn’t see us having these moments here. I wanted him in the protective custody of the White River halfbreeds. But I sort of love how it turned out.

White River has a certain charm to it, no doubt. It’s as picturesque as any tiny mountain village in the Northern Rockies. But the North Star... I take a moment to chuckle. It’s… like a dream.

Everything that just happened went splendidly well. And it only gets better from here.

Syrsee turns when I allow her to hear my footsteps. “What the fuck!”

I point to myself, shocked. “Surely you’re not blaming me for this? Dear girl, I didn’t lead you to the greenhouse. You came all on your own. I’m not in charge of your instincts.”

“You… you…” But she has lost her words.

No matter, I have plenty of my own to get out right now. “OK, then. Shall we go?”

“Go?”

I look at my watch, then up at the sky. “The helicopter should be coming back soon. Let’s wait in the lounge, shall we?” I point to the upper floors of the greenhouse. “It’s quite nice up there. Hot drinks, hot food. Are you hungry?”

“Am I hungry?”

“You must be exhausted.” And she is. I can see it on her face. Though she wasn’t really present in the scene the way Ryet and I were, she was there. In her own way. And she did feed Ryet, though it wasn’t her blood. Just her magic. Which is enough for now. But soon, she will need to give him more of the real thing.

She looks at the pathway where Ryet is just disappearing over a hill. Then she looks back at me. “What about—”

“Oh, don’t worry about him. He’s always been…” I sigh, looking for the right word. “Dramatic.” Yes. I smile now. Because that is the perfect word for Ryet. “Here’s what we’re going to do. You and I will fly to the compound and wait him out. He’ll be back, my sweet. He’s addicted to you now, you see. You fed him. He needs you.” I walk over to her and place my hand on her head in a loving gesture that I don’t feel, and typically reserve for Ryet. “He needs you. He will never leave you. Not for good and not for long. He’s half yours now.”

I hate admitting that. But it’s true. She gets one half of him and I keep the other. It’s a trade-off that took me a long time to come to terms with, but there is no other way.

Like it or not, Syrsee is the key to my future.

I pan my hand back towards the open door of the greenhouse. “Come now. The heat is spilling out. What a waste.”

Syrsee takes one last look in Ryet’s direction, but he’s gone.

“Trust me, Syrsee. He’s not coming back. Not right now, at least. He’s in retreat. This is his custom. And when he does finally decide to find us again, he won’t come here. He will go home.”

“Home?” Her attention is on me again, which is where it should be.

“It’s a very short helicopter ride away but it will take him several hours by truck. Damn mountain roads. Especially in the winter. We will arrive before he does, but he will show up. He needs to feed on you and he needs to do that soon. So even though he is angry right now, he will come. And we will be there waiting.” I offer her my hand, but she hesitates, looking at it dubiously. “Do you think you can call them?”

She is frowning now. Dismayed. Possibly even broken-hearted. But what choice does she have? “What? Who?”

She knows who. “The Guild, darling. Do you think they’re going to come save you? Because they’re not. I already told you, we had an agreement. This whole thing has been planned for decades. Your mother was part of it. Your grandma was part of it. They traded you for a future for witches in my new empire. And so did the Guild.”

“I don’t understand.”

“They want your blood, darling.”

“But they could’ve had my blood at any time. I lived with them!”

“No. That’s not how it works. Trust me when I tell you it had to be done this way.”

“But I don’t… understand.”